Explosive projectile.



sfrarns ariane emisionD ROBERT GNTER AND MARALL MCILVJAINE EAKIN, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGN- DRS T GEORGE T-IGMAS CAVENDISH TH F LONDON, ENGLAND.

PAGET AND WILLIAM EDMUND SLAUGHTER,

EXPLOSIVE PROJECTILE.

s application filed November 24, i915.

To all 'whom imag concern.'

Be it known that we, ROBERT GNTER and lvliinsixrn ll/lclmviiivn Einw, subjects of the lling of Great Britain and Ireland, residing, respectively, at London, England, have invented improvements in or Relating to Explosive Projectiles, of which the following is a spccilication.l

The object ot the present invention is to provide explosive projectiles better adapted than those heretofore employed for purposes such as the attack of air craft. For this purpose an explosive projectile according to the invention comprises a shell having a Wall surrounding a space constituting a central chamber', and formed with housings radiating from the said central chamber, means for subdividing such chamber in an axial direction to form separate explosion regions, explosive charges disposed in said regions, shrapnel bullets in the Wall housings, and means for closing the outer ends of such housings, the ultimate destruction of the shell after the bullets have been successively discharged being effected by a high explosive Within a base container.

.as Will be understood, the invention may be carried into effect in various Ways, although it has not been thought necessary to illustrate more than one construction in the accompanying drawings, with the aid of which the invention will non7 be further described. y

@t these drawings Figure l is a longitur dinal section oi the shell Without the fuse.

Fig. 2 is a part transverse section.

As here shown, `the shell body a is bored radially so as to produce aseries of rows of pockets b and a series of similar pockets c arranged in staggered relationship to the pockets rl`hese pockets o contain spherical bullets Z confined exteriorly by suitable means such `as plugs a, of alloy which may be soldered or pressed into the holes from a sheet of solder forexample. The center of the shell is bored to receive explosive charges e which may be of black gun powder in a suitable Wrapping, the respective charges being separated by .metal disks f perforated at g and held in proper spaced relationship by fl of a more or less skeleton character so that the rows or holes o, c communicate with the seperated explosion regions.

Specification of Letters Patent.

.Patented Jan. 9, 1191*?.

Serial No. 63,167'.

rEhe upper and under side of each disk f may have a disk of muslin attached thereto to cover the perforations g, such disks i being secured in any suitable Way such as for instance by shellac. be secured by a socket y' as ordinarily, ev being a perforated steel or other disk screwed into place before the fuse socket y' is fitted. The bottom m of the shell may be solid and have a gas ringv such ,as n applied to it in known way, but it may, as shown, have a perforation 0 placing Athe last charge compartment in communication with the inte rior or' a base container p charged with a high explosive and screwed or otherwise attached to the shell body, a, the gas ring n in this case being conveniently arranged to engage @both the body a and the container o. The skeleton formation of the rings h inay be obtained by boring` simultaneously with the holes b c in the body-7a.` .i

lt may be advantageously arranged that the grain of the metal of which the container p is made shall run transversely thereof with the object of preventing pressure in the gun being communicated by percolation Aoi" the gas produced through the grain of the metal to the explosive in the shell.

l. An explosive projectile comprising a shell having a Wall surrounding a space constituting a central chamber, and formed with housings radiating from the said central chamber7 means for subdividing such chamber in an `axial direction to form separate explosion regions, explosive charges disposed in said regions, shrapnel bullets in the Wall housings, and means for closing the outer ends of such housings.

2. An explosive projectile comprising a shell. having a Wall surrounding a spaceconstituting a central chamber and formed with housings radiating from the latter, perforated disks adapted to be inserted in such chambers,n rines adapted to be assembled alternately with the disks and hold the latter in spaced relationship thereby forming separated explosion regions, explosive charges disposed in such regions, shrapnel bullets in the Wall housings, and means for closing the. outer ends of such housings.

3. An explosive projectile comprising a hollow shell having a pierced.4 cylindrical The time fuse is or may roo Wall, shrapnel bllets housed in such piercings, charges, adapted to be iired successively, arranged in such hollow shell und :L

container at the base of the shell adapted to receive a higher explosive than that in the shell, the said container, being in 'communication With the interior of the shell through a perforation.

Signed at London, England, this 10th day of November, 1915.

ROBERT GNTER. MARSHALL MCILWAINE EAKIN.

Witnessesz A.. PARISI-r, F. J. Golm. 

